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Feeling overwhelmed by your family's daily grind and looking for a way out? Welcome to "Dig the Well," the podcast that empowers you to build the life you deserve. Your hosts Vikki and John are top earners at Neora. Vikki is a # 1 best-selling author and John is a retired Los Angeles Police Officer. Together they’ve navigated family challenges, raised successful kids, and achieved financial freedom.
In each episode of "Dig the Well," they dive deep into the strategies and mindsets that can help you break free from the constraints of the traditional 9-5 lifestyle. They understand the unique challenges faced by stay-at-home moms and families who are juggling multiple responsibilities and struggling to find balance. Their mission is to provide you with the tools and inspiration you need to create additional income, gain more family time, and ultimately, transform your life.
Throughout their journey, they’ve had the privilege of working with renowned figures like Jack Canfield and Jeff Olson, whose wisdom and insights have greatly influenced their path to success. They’ve also celebrated significant milestones, such as raising two valedictorian children and supporting their son, an Olympic weightlifter on Team USA. These experiences have equipped them with valuable knowledge and practical tips that they’re eager to share with you.
"Dig the Well" is more than just a podcast; it's a community of like-minded individuals who are committed to personal growth and financial independence. Whether you're worried about your family's financial security, longing for more quality time with your spouse, or simply seeking a way to reignite your passions, this podcast offers actionable insights and real-life stories that can help you achieve your goals.
Our mission is to inspire you with the belief that if we can do it, so can you. We want you to feel empowered, educated, and ready to take control of your future. By tuning in to "Dig the Well," you'll gain the confidence and knowledge needed to break free from the daily grind and create a life full of possibilities.
So, if you're ready to transform your family's future and discover the greatness within you, join us on this journey. Subscribe to "Dig the Well" and start building the life you deserve today!
This is the EWN Podcast Network.
John:Ever wondered how you could turn your side hustle into a full time gig and spend more time together?
Vikki:Hi. I'm Vikki, a number one best selling author.
John:And I'm John, a retired Los Angeles police officer. Welcome to dig the well, where we help couples navigate the world of business.
Vikki:We've been married for thirty five years, and because we built a successful side business, John retired nine years earlier than he originally planned from the Los Angeles Police Department after twenty five years on the job. Now we spend more time together, and we want to help couples like you do the same.
John:Join us as we help you overcome common obstacles, and we show you how to make extra income without sacrificing family time.
Vikki:Ready to dig deep and build your well? Let's get started.
Vikki:Welcome. Welcome, everyone, back to dig the well podcast. Vicky Downey here. John is taking a day off because I wanted some very special time with my new girlfriend, Kriza Kelly, and I'm gonna introduce Kriza in just a second. But excited that you're here.
Vikki:Wanna make sure that you know what this podcast is all about. If you heard our intro, you know that it is all about entrepreneurship, whether you have a business or you don't, whether you're thinking about starting one, looking into it, know nothing about it, that's what this podcast is all about, to know that there are people that can guide you and teach you how to do that, even just listening to a free podcast. And I think that's pretty cool. So I'm excited because Chryssa and I met at a networking group, and that should be a clue. If you're not networking, you should be.
Vikki:If you are an entrepreneur in both of our opinion, I see you nodding, Khryzza . Yeah. And it's been just a blessing. We were chatting before we started the recording for both of us. And, you know, entrepreneurs are kindred spirits for sure.
Vikki:We we think differently. We go out in the world differently. We have bigger expectations, in my opinion, of what we're gonna get out of life. And I'm just I'm really excited. So before without further ado, I wanna do do justice to you, I'm going to read your bio here.
Vikki:Not all of it, everybody, and you could see all of it in the show notes, so be sure to go check that out. But here here it goes. So Kriza Kelly is a purpose to profit strategy architect, entrepreneur, and advocate who bridges global communities through equitable and ethical business practices. Guided by her belief that advocacy fuels innovation, she designed strategies that empower underrepresented voices while driving measurable social and financial impact. I love, though, your choice of words.
Vikki:As the head of Cowork Group, Khryzza leads two ventures that model how purpose driven businesses can be both sustainable and profitable. Love that, Khryzza . So welcome to Dig the Well. So glad you're here. Thank you.
Khryzza Kelley:Thank you. And it's an honor, and it's a pleasure to chat with you. I I was telling Vicky before we started meeting her and joining that networking group for women has been one of the highlights of my year. So I'm so happy to be here.
Vikki:That makes me so happy. And if you're wondering what that networking group is, it is eWomenNetwork. There are several networking groups in Southern California, and both of us belong to several, if not more than just several. But eWomen, I'm the managing director of so if you're ever wanting to find a very professional focused driven group of women with it on a mission to help $1,000,000 oh, sorry. 1,000,000 women each earn $1,000,000 in annual revenue, That's our mission.
Vikki:So join us. So check us out. But yes. So we met, and I think we met somewhere else, and and then I invited you to eWomen. Yeah.
Vikki:Wonderful. Wonderful. And, you know, the first time I met you, you were full of energy, and I that's where I felt like, gosh. We're so similar because right? We might be different ages, but so similar.
Vikki:And and my husband is Japanese, half Japanese, and and Crissa is Philip an amazing Filipino born in The Philippines. Right, Khryzza? Yep. Yeah. Yeah.
Vikki:And, her two companies, you know, you just heard me read the bio, just are sound so amazing, and they are. And I can't wait to dive into that. So that's what I really wanted to do first, Kriza, was ask you about each one because you have two. Yeah. So tell us about Cowork.
Vikki:Tell us what Cowork is, and what do you do?
Khryzza Kelley:So what is Cowork? Cowork is an ethical and equitable outsourcing company. So we connect small to medium business owners, mostly women owned businesses, to large corporations like Jollibee. So for all of you who who loves a fried chicken, Jollibee is also one of our clients. We connect them with their remote teams and virtual assistants.
Khryzza Kelley:Our virtual assistants can can be any anybody. It could be a web designer, social media manager, executive assistant, because virtual assistant is a general term. All while making sure, though, that, our virtual assistants are also getting taken care of. Because for those of you who do not know, a lot of Filipino virtual assistants in The Philippines are still getting paid as low as $1 an hour. We deserve better than that.
Khryzza Kelley:We can do better than that. And as a business owner and and as an HR professional, when I was still in the corporate world, I always believed in the saying that if you take care of your people, your your people will take care of your business. So that's really the focal point of co work, making sure that you get the best virtual assistant out there, but also making sure that they are taken care of.
Vikki:I'm so glad you clarified all of that because I do feel like, I didn't I'm glad you said that VA, virtual assistant, is a broad term because I was so confused about it and social media manager and and all the things you just said. So I'm so glad you clarified that, but also, making it equitable, paying them more. But I I wanna touch on that. You're not still not paying them $20 an hour where that could break the bank of a of a new entrepreneur. Right?
Vikki:But you and what is the the normal rate? I know you have a deal going on, but what what is the normal rate for you?
Khryzza Kelley:When I started this business, I I look at my competitors, and they're all offering full time virtual assistance. Right? So I thought, okay. I'll do the same. And then when I started networking, I realized because there's a lot of small business owners who who came up to me and said, Carissa, I don't need a full time VA or I cannot afford a full time VA.
Khryzza Kelley:Do you have a virtual assistant who can work with me for five hours a week, ten hours a week? Or when I go big, then I can increase the hours later on. And I said, sure. Why not? You know, at the end of the day, you need help and our virtual assistants need clients, and it's such a win win solution for everybody.
Khryzza Kelley:So for for some of you or for some of our listeners who haven't hired a virtual assistant yet, we start at five hours a week. That is five hours for a solopreneur if it's if you're new in business world, that's already huge. Five hours means you can pick up your kids to school. You can drop them off. You can have a longer dinner, longer lunch.
Khryzza Kelley:You can have five hours of rest. That's a lot of of of hours of free time that you can delegate to your VA. But if you need them for more than twenty hours a week, it's only $10 per hour.
Vikki:Wow. That is outstanding. Yes. So that right. So $10 an hour for ten hours a week, you said?
Vikki:So a hundred bucks a week.
Khryzza Kelley:Yeah. For 20 for twenty hours a week. But if you need them for just five hours, it's $12 an hour, which is around 250 a month.
Vikki:Right. Right. So yeah. And that is so doable. And if you entrepreneurs listening really think about that, how many times have you been coached?
Vikki:And and if you haven't, you should be coached on this. What is your time worth? Ask yourself that. What is your time? Right?
Vikki:We you know, a lot of us will put ourselves at $300 an hour. So
Khryzza Kelley:Oh, yeah. Yeah. Or a hundred and 50.
Vikki:Right? A hundred and 50 or a hundred. And so, yeah, having a virtual assistant is kind of a no brainer if you think about it, especially on tasks that you don't love. You know? Is that what you hear too that a lot of entrepreneurs will use a a virtual assistant for maybe something they're not crazy about?
Vikki:Like, a lot of older maybe boomers don't love social media.
Khryzza Kelley:Right? Exactly. So And I wanna touch too. Like, as entrepreneurs, you have your own zone of genius. You have a an area where you're most passionate about your skill that you're the best in the room and doing that specific task or whatever.
Khryzza Kelley:That's your zone of genius. My zone of genius as an entrepreneur is sales. I love talking to people. I love going to networking events. That's why I'm always at your desk, but not working at.
Khryzza Kelley:Love going there. I love putting myself and putting my company out there. That's my zone of genius. Anything outside of that, I either delegate or automate, and that's where the virtual assistant will come into play.
Vikki:Love that. So any of you, like, scratching your head going, I could learn all this, but why, you know, why learn how to do it? Why not concentrate on my zone of genius and hire a coworker to, you know, help you out? Yeah. I love I absolutely love it.
Vikki:And, you know, I have to say, I have known a lot of people, that have told me, well, I just go to The Philippines, and somebody gives me a link from a friend that's it's $5 an hour. But I I have to agree with you how sad for them. They're probably that's the ones where they're only making a dollar an hour. And I'm sure a dollar goes a lot further in The Philippines, but not that far. You know?
Vikki:Seriously.
Khryzza Kelley:I'm sure
Vikki:it doesn't go that far. So I love that you have a bigger a bigger way of thinking yet not breaking the bank of, you know, the entrepreneurs here. And that's great. You know, I was gonna break with you that Kriza, I didn't mention this, but she was recognized, her company, as small business of the year by the Asian Business Association of Orange County in 2024, you guys. So, clearly, she's doing things right, or there's you know, they would vet they're gonna vet the people, that are you know, they're looking into giving that recognition to.
Vikki:And that that's when I heard that, I was so impressed, Carissa. I really was. Yeah. And I've been to that group. I'm not Asian.
Vikki:We we talked about this. Your husband is. My husband is. So I kinda hang on the hang on his coattails sometimes. Funny story is, I just gravitate to Asian women as friends.
Vikki:As friends. Yeah. I and I think it must be because he you know, my husband because the minute I say, oh, well, my husband's half Japanese, they then they're instantly my friend. So funny. So, it's funny.
Vikki:And I must attract, Asian women because, I don't know. I just have a ton of friends that are and it's and another funny story, this has nothing to do with your business. Sorry. But it's just funny. My kids well, growing up, I learned to cook rice.
Vikki:And I don't know if Filipinos should cook a ton of rice, but the Japanese do. Okay. Yeah. And I also learned not to assume all cultures are the same. So believe me, I that's why.
Vikki:Yeah. So, anyway, one of my daughter's friends asked me, missus Downey, do you do you cook rice with every meal? And I had to think, and I'm like, as a matter of fact, I do. Like, it was kind of a funny Wow. Question.
Vikki:But I did like, when they were growing up, I ditched the potatoes, which is a typical American thing, and I love white rice. I love white and so, anyway, it's kind of funny. And then my other I think my answer to her this is why my daughter laughs about that story. I said, actually, yes. Us Asians.
Vikki:I called myself us. And I wasn't meaning any you know, I'm just like, yeah.
Khryzza Kelley:Us Asians now. I know. It's
Vikki:really funny. But yeah. And I yeah. I love white rice. Are you just side note, are you white rice or fried rice kinda girl?
Vikki:Like, you had
Khryzza Kelley:a choice. White rice because I I am a type of eater that I don't want my sauces to mess up with my rice. You know? Like, my husband is the he can put everything in a plate. But Yeah.
Khryzza Kelley:I I don't have my rice on this side and then my other food on the other side. Yeah. Love I love white rice. But there's time that I'm craving for fried rice, but white Yes.
Vikki:I'm with you. Yeah. I'm the same when we go to Panda Express or, you know, a not a really not or a nice restaurant. It's always white rice for all of us. But you're right.
Vikki:Every once in while, I'm craving fried rice. So yeah. Anyway, funny. Funny. Alright.
Vikki:So that's that's just amazing. And I've talked to you. I plan to use your company. I haven't yet, but, you know, I have some big projects coming up, and I'm I'm gonna reach out because I just think it's wonderful that you're taking care of your people, and you're absolutely right when you said, you know, you were raised to believe and to know that when you and take care of your employees, they take care of the company, hence, you. You know?
Vikki:And that goes for all entrepreneurs. John and I have always felt that way too. So Mhmm. Yeah.
Khryzza Kelley:And and But I want to found on that on that a little bit too, Vicky. Like, what what do we mean by we take care of people? Right? Because it it doesn't only mean that we pay them more because that only goes so far. Mhmm.
Khryzza Kelley:It's not all about the money. Some most of the time, in a practical reality, yes, it is about the pay. But there's more than that, especially if you wanna retain high performing employees or virtual assistants. So what we do in co work is that we we do monthly coaching with them. We have we have monthly coaching with them where they they're in a intimate group of their fellow virtual assistants.
Khryzza Kelley:We check-in on them. We also have a monthly town hall where, by the way, an e women sister was our speaker just yesterday teaching our Filipino virtual assistants how to write in the age of AI. So that that if you join EWomen, and that EWomen sister is actually all the way from Canada. So she taught our virtual assistants to to be smarter in writing in the age of AI. So we do that every month.
Khryzza Kelley:We have different speakers who are also entrepreneurs here in The United States, in Canada, and in the Western countries, really. We also do have employee events so so that they feel a sense of community because I think you and I can relate to this because we, in essence, are business or remote, and being remote can be isolating. So we provide that sense of community with our virtual assistants as well. And there's more, like, benefits. If they go to a certain coffee shop in in in The Philippines, they discounts because they part they are part of co work.
Khryzza Kelley:So there's a lot of creative benefits that comes into play. And, also, I train them myself, and I'm an HR professional. I'm a leadership development manager when I was still in corporate America. I trained CEOs for a living before I became an entrepreneur, and the same training that CEOs get for me is the same training that your virtual assistants get. And I'm not $5 an hour.
Khryzza Kelley:It's the value of of of of money that you get when you work with us. And that's what we taking care of our people.
Vikki:I love that. I abs I'm so glad you elaborated on that because it's it's absolutely true. Yeah. That you're educating them. You're helping them with sense of community.
Vikki:Like, they belong in this company. Right? And they have brothers and sisters within the company. I love that. Love it.
Vikki:Love it. Love it. One thing that just popped in my head that I have heard, and it's I hope this doesn't sound bad, but I've had people ask, well, my only fear about The Philippines is sometimes a thicker accent. Like, will if they're speaking to somebody now there's plenty of VA roles that I know that nobody's speaking to anybody. They're just, you know, doing computer work, helping you with your Zoom, you know, recording things, social media.
Vikki:But, do you work on that as well, if you know they're gonna be doing, answering phones, for example?
Khryzza Kelley:Oh, yes. Definitely. That's why, the first thing that I usually do is really get into a call with our partner clients and ask them what are the specific facts tasks you're thinking that this VA would do. Is she gonna cold call cold call people, or is she gonna answer as a customer service, representative of some sorts, or is she gonna answer calls in your behalf when people call you? What exactly is it that they're gonna do?
Khryzza Kelley:Because if they're gonna answer or they're gonna talk to people or sometimes we even have, like, training assistants, so they help train. Right? So they need to to talk to Americans or West or or people in Western countries, then we then we recruit we have a higher, standards of recruitment. But at a minimum, there is what we call FSAT. It's an English proficiency test.
Khryzza Kelley:It's a standardized test for all non native English speakers, and we only hire people with c two and c one. Those are the two highest levels of of mastering English. That means that they don't only know how to speak English, but they speak and master business English because those two are very different.
Vikki:True. Gosh. Yeah. I hadn't even thought of that, but you're right. Absolutely different.
Vikki:Two different things. Love it. And I love that you go that that step further, making sure, yeah, everybody's gonna be happy on both sides. Yeah. I'd love that.
Vikki:That's so great. So so great. Wonderful. Is there anything else that I didn't touch on before we jump into your other company that you think sets Cowork apart from your competitors? I would love our listeners to know that.
Khryzza Kelley:Oh, yeah. For sure. And I have had the same statement that you had earlier. I had a I had a fellow entrepreneur came up to me one day in a networking event and say, hey. Why do you charge more?
Khryzza Kelley:And I just told them that, you know, we are not for everybody, and that's totally okay. Not everybody will be my client because I'm here for people who are purpose driven. If you look at our website, it says purpose, purpose driven outsourcing for purpose driven businesses. And all of my partner clients, thankfully, they don't look at they consider it a price, but the price is not the entirety of it because it has it it's not only it's not only a case where we are a good match to you, you should also be a good match to us because I had had I have had clients before who only sees our virtual assistants as cost saving opportunity and that's it. They don't care about training our virtual assistants.
Khryzza Kelley:They don't care about communicating with them. They don't even have weekly check ins with them. And that's also one thing that I I said. As an HR professional, I the thing that I have seen that Fortune 500 companies does really, really well versus companies that are not in that space is their ability to tie in their culture and people together. And the way you do that is you do regular communications, regular check ins.
Khryzza Kelley:You don't just give tasks to them. You give them the vision, like, what is the vision of your company? What is the vision of your business? So that they can also own the vision and contribute. Purpose driven is super, super important.
Khryzza Kelley:So and, you know, we can't do that together if you only look at our VAs as like, okay. VA one, do task one, task two, task three. Okay. We're done for the day. Bye.
Khryzza Kelley:Right. Almost like a robot.
Vikki:Yeah. Almost like treating them like a robot. Yeah. And that's not right, in my opinion.
Khryzza Kelley:And, also, another thing is that, if you haven't been to The Philippines, when you're there, other than the climate, which is very hot, very unvaccinating, it will feel like you haven't left The States because everyone, even if they haven't graduated elementary school or grade school, speaks English. Our laws in The Philippines are written in English. Our street signs, public signs, everything is written in What? So everybody knows how to speak English. It's I did not know that.
Khryzza Kelley:Yeah. Filipino and English are our national language languages. Wow.
Vikki:I think that's a I feel like Mel Robbins now listening to a podcast by Mel Robbins, and she was like, what? What? She was interrupting her guest like, what? You're blowing my mind right now. And, actually, you are blowing my mind.
Vikki:Wow. How long has this been going on?
Khryzza Kelley:It's a very seamless integration.
Vikki:Yeah. Like, the last ten, twenty years, do you think, or do you think it's been recent about the English over there? Well, quick history here for two decades. Yeah. Please excuse my ignorance, please.
Vikki:No worries. You're not ignorant. Okay. I just don't know. Yeah.
Khryzza Kelley:Oh, but for fifth from fifteen hundreds to eighteen hundreds, the Philippines has been occupied by Spain. And then after that, for thirty years, we have been occupied by the Americans. For three years after that, we've been we've been occupied by Japanese. But when the Japanese left after World War two, we've been good friends with The United States. Our constitution and bylaws are very similar to the American constitution and bylaws.
Khryzza Kelley:That's why all of our laws are written in English. And there is what we call, thomicides in The Philippines where before when when the Americans are still occupying The Philippines, there were English teachers teaching Filipinos how to speak English. And that never, you know, that culture never left until now. So a grade school student or, you know, a taxi driver in The Philippines who haven't finished college can still speak to you in fluent English and with a smile because we're the most hospitable people on earth.
Vikki:I love it. I I really did not know that. I think that's eye opening and wonderful. Wow. That's really incredible.
Vikki:And so in other words, like, if you wanna spend what John and I love to do is go to countries and spend our dollars in other countries to yes. We have a great time, but to help them because we've been entrepreneurs our whole life. And so that just tells me other entrepreneurs should be going to The Philippines because I also I hear it is drop dead gorgeous. Yes. It might be hot, but stunningly beautiful.
Vikki:So go go vacation there because you won't have to worry about a language barrier, Americans. So
Khryzza Kelley:What she's worried too is that my husband, before I met him, he was traveling to Southeast Asia, and he was decided between Thailand or The Philippines. And the reason he chose The Philippines is that the language. He knows that in Thailand, you know, they don't some of those English, but not as extensive as The Philippines. So and it's the reason why, you know, we have call centers in The Philippines. We
Vikki:have Yeah.
Khryzza Kelley:Nurses who had their nursing degrees in The Philippines, but they're still able to work as nurses here because the the language is pretty much
Vikki:Wow. That makes total sense now that you're putting that all together, and I can't believe I didn't know that. Wow. Amazing.
Khryzza Kelley:Amazing. Philippines, guys. You love the the beach.
Vikki:Yeah. That's that's awesome. I have always I went to Australia, and I was like, it's not that far. You know? Hop on another flight.
Vikki:So oh, awesome. Maybe we and you grew up there. Right? Till the age of what were you?
Khryzza Kelley:I I was there until I was 22. Wow. Moved here when after that. So I've been here for around six five to six years.
Vikki:Yeah. And you were you working for some of those, Fortune 500 companies while still in The Philippines, or did you do that when you got here?
Khryzza Kelley:I'm not sure if I told you this already.
Vikki:No. You haven't.
Khryzza Kelley:Okay. We we are an example of a modern day dating story. We met on Tinder. We matched on Tinder the same day we had our first date. And then after our first date, he proposed to me, and the rest is history now.
Khryzza Kelley:Now I'm here, but I never followed him to me.
Vikki:Oh, you weren't gonna leave. You weren't gonna leave.
Khryzza Kelley:No. At that time, I was thinking of going to my mom in Dubai because she's living there with my stepdad. And there is a there this is also what goes back to Philippines being an English speaking country. There was a volunteer opportunity in France to teach English, and there's a lot of Filipino teachers who teach English there. So I was trying to to consider, like, I need a change of phase in my life.
Khryzza Kelley:So I was either going to my mom in Dubai or going to France. And then I met my husband, which made me detour all of the plants I have.
Vikki:Those husbands. That's true. That is awesome. What a great story. Oh my goodness.
Vikki:You know, quick story. Yeah. And we were talking at an event. We were at a big gala, Kristen and I, and I was showing you know, I we my husband and I are the female white with Asian guy version, and I was showing a picture. And I said, this is you guys, but just reverse sexes.
Vikki:Right? And we were we were jack joking about that. But, talk about a husband's charisma. My husband detoured my career too. I was a dance major at UC Irvine, and my plan was to go to Broadway and audition.
Vikki:But I met him junior year in on a blind date, so it's almost like Tinder because it's you know? Yeah. You're someone now you don't know. Anyway, I we fell in love, and he's like, don't go away. I'll pay you.
Vikki:And he had his own business at the time, and he's all I'll pay you whatever. You know, the biggest dance job you were gonna land would pay you. I know. It's so funny. So but he he cut you know, I had all these plans too.
Vikki:That's so funny. Oh, I know. Very similar. Yeah. Very, very, very.
Vikki:And you Dubai. Have you been to Dubai to visit your mom? Yeah. Sure. Right?
Vikki:That was gorgeous. Nice spot. Yeah. We just went. Yes.
Khryzza Kelley:Oh, what did you do there?
Vikki:We went our son was competing. He's on team USA. I don't know if I've told you this. He's an Olympic weightlifter. Yeah.
Vikki:He's been part of team USA. You have to requalify every year, but so many years. He's 34 now. 33? Four 34.
Vikki:Anyway, since since he went to UCLA and right after that so, like, twelve years, he's been competing, but he's still the top of the top. In fact, he just qualified for nationals. But we were going to see him compete a year ago in Qatar, and we took a quick trip to Dubai for, like, twenty four hours. It was crazy. The most fun we've ever had, though.
Vikki:And one secret thing that's that we noticed about Dubai, we loved it. We loved the people. We loved it all, but there's a lot of smog. Like, people don't talk about the haze that is right? They don't ever talk about that.
Vikki:So I know we're going off on a tangent, but it is amazing. Anyway
Khryzza Kelley:It's amazing. Also, a lot of cultures there. You have Emiratis, Filipinos, you have Indians, you have Chinese, you have you have British. Also, there's a lot of this there. There's also Americans there.
Khryzza Kelley:It's cosmopolitan.
Vikki:Right? Yeah. Very it was amazing. We stayed at a hotel that had a, a rooftop pool or an infinity pool on the 50 Second Floor, and it was staring at that top what is that tallest building? Burj
Khryzza Kelley:There's two birds. Well, Arab and Burj Khalifa.
Vikki:So Khalifa. Burj Khalifa. We stared at it from the rooftop hotel. I have the best footage for social media that I've used, but, I wish I'd go back. But it yeah.
Vikki:We will go back someday because the people were amazing. Yeah. For sure. But that's cool. Your mom's there.
Vikki:It is. It it is, but it's worth going for sure. Okay. So co work, amazing. Love it.
Vikki:But then what led I'm assuming oops. I just heard a beeping. That's fine. Okay. Isla Isla and co, and I'm gonna have you tell well, I should I was gonna read what Isla and co is, and then you could tell us some more.
Vikki:But I'm assuming this also came from your heart. Actually, coworker is a labor of love, I'm sure too, but same with Eastland Co. So let me read what Eastland Co is all about. A fashion for good brand partnering with Filipino artisans to preserve cultural craftsmanship and secure fair wages in a global billion dollar fashion industry where artisans are frequently underpaid. Wow.
Vikki:There's a recurring theme here. By blending modern design with traditional techniques, Isla and co transforms handmade artistry into global luxury while uplifting communities. I know what it is, but can you tell everybody even more? We know it's fashion, but what type of fashion?
Khryzza Kelley:Yeah. So if you remember, the reason why I had, we created Cowork is because a lot of our Filipino VAs got paid us a dollar an hour. But for our Filipino artisans, it's actually much worse than that. They earn as low as a dollar a day. And in The Philippines, that is very, very low.
Khryzza Kelley:That is below poverty line, and a lot of Filipino artisans still remain that way until today. The reason why I created that is that, first of all, I love fashion. I love earrings. I love I love everything. Verses, like tops, dresses, clothes.
Khryzza Kelley:I love everything. But there are two things that really push me to to create my my own brand and support, you know, Filipino artisans there is that when I moved here to The US, I googled, okay, Filipino brands, Filipino handmade bags, handmade earrings, whatever. And I stumbled upon this brand, and they it's it's a very luxurious brand. It looks beautiful. They claim that it's made in The Philippines, and I can tell it's made in The Philippines because of there are certain materials that you can only find in Southeast Asia, and there is a certain tribe that is only in The Philippines, and they advertise it as that.
Khryzza Kelley:And what led me to this belief is that they sell their purses for $200 each for one purse. And I was like, oh, that is very expensive for me. I am a corporate slave at that time. Right. It's that's too much.
Khryzza Kelley:And then I research more about the tribe because that is a very popular tribe in The Philippines. They are known for their weaving. And I had my I had my friends and my business partners in The Philippines there to, you know, really look for artisans, really look for stories of artisans. And we concluded that if you really sell this purse for $200 a purse, why are your artisans still below the poverty line?
Vikki:Because Yeah.
Khryzza Kelley:$200 a purse is very expensive.
Vikki:It is. It
Khryzza Kelley:is. Giving it back to the community who creates it, they should at least be comfort living comfortably because otherwise, you're just using them for marketing and PR to lift your band up. You're not really serving the community. So I I look for I I look for more artisans. I my friends also helped me in this journey with me for one long year.
Khryzza Kelley:The whole 2024, we just look for more artisans. We interviewed a bunch of them. We interviewed different artisans all over The Philippines because for those who don't know, Philippines is composed of 7,000 a hundred seven islands. So it's
Vikki:a That I did know. That I knew. Was a lot of islands. I didn't but I knew it was a ton. Yeah.
Khryzza Kelley:Also, very multicultural. There's different tribes in The Philippines with different weaving designs, different weaving techniques. And I came across with this family of artisans, and they are very humble family, both financially and socially and mentally. And the this is a family of artisans who created these amazing bags, amazing earrings, not because they like fashion like I do, but they they made these bags because that's the only source of livelihood that they have. They create bags out of what we call pandan leaves.
Khryzza Kelley:It's one of the most common leaves that you can find in that specific region in The Philippines, which is Negros. It's in the middle of The Philippines. And through that, through decades of doing that by hand and by foot, because pandan leaves are very sturdy, it's it's not malleable, it's not foldable easily, that's why they have to use their hand and their foot. Through that, they send their kids to school. They made a shack that they call home right now.
Khryzza Kelley:And our our job, really, when I look at them and when I look at their products, I'm like, we can help you get bigger, and you deserve way more than what you guys have now. You deserve a bigger house for your family. You deserve a rest day because they haven't had a rest day in decades because Oh,
Vikki:you're kidding.
Khryzza Kelley:So what I just did is I partnered with them. We designed things with them. I gave them, like, okay. This is probably what would sell in America. This would Right.
Khryzza Kelley:You know? For example, as as simple as zippers versus having zippers is a must or having Yes.
Vikki:I noticed that about your zippers. I was impressed because a lot of the, you know, bags similar don't have zippers. So I noticed that you yeah. I noticed.
Khryzza Kelley:And, so, like, for example, I bring my laptop with me everywhere I go. That's a that's a must have for me because that's my business in a laptop. So it has to fit a laptop or it has to fit an iPad, whatever. So those are the things that to me because my target market is a woman leader, a woman entrepreneur, a woman corporate leader. So whatever it is that I need personally, because I'm looking at myself as my target market, I relate to them.
Khryzza Kelley:They create their version of it, and we create it together. We take care of logistics and everything. So that's basically the birth of of eSIM.
Vikki:It pulls us
Khryzza Kelley:in the heart too, as what you said.
Vikki:I love it, and I love that you clarified because I didn't know that. I knew the zippers. I didn't know iPad and laptop can fit in there. So I'm gonna go back to your website. And look.
Vikki:And by the way, I know it's gonna be in the show notes, but what is the website? Maybe a listener wants to, like, log on right now. What's the website for Isla and Co?
Khryzza Kelley:It's say helloIsla.co. Not .com. Dot co.
Vikki:Perfect. Because with the name. Yeah. I love that. So say hello, Isla, I s l a.
Vikki:Should be should be easy. It is easy. .Co.Dotco. Right? Love that.
Vikki:Oh my gosh. That see, because that's me too. I travel a ton, and my purse has to fit my my iPad, especially for planes. I don't always bring my laptop. But now, you know, with the movies having to be on your phone or your iPad, I wanna look on an iPad instead of a little tiny phone.
Vikki:So oh, that's so cool. And is it one one family linear family, like, so just a mom and a dad and their kids?
Khryzza Kelley:Or is it blended family. So in our website too, if you go there, we have videos of them creating the process of from, you know, from harvesting the leaves to drying the leaves to because it's it's a very lengthy process. And there's it's an extended family. There's aunts and uncles and not just the mom and dads, the sisters as well, the cousins. It the whole family creates it.
Khryzza Kelley:From the back, the wooden handles, everything.
Vikki:I love the wooden handles. I think they're just beautiful. And the price, you guys, if you're listening, it's not $200. They're not $200. And so what is the what is the top end price?
Vikki:Like,
Khryzza Kelley:highest price? The highest price is $55, and the those are my biggest price.
Vikki:Okay. So 55 down to I know you have little coin purses, little yeah.
Khryzza Kelley:$5, which you can fit your your eye your ear pods, your lip balm, your lipstick, whatever.
Vikki:Love it. Yeah. So you guys check that out and know that you're doing a good thing too when you're purchasing. It's going back to a great family in The Philippines. I really love that.
Vikki:I'm I'm so glad I had you on here to learn more on our podcast to learn more. I already knew a little, but this has been amazing. Amazing. Amazing. You know,
Khryzza Kelley:this has also been this has also been inspired by, the former CEO and chairman of PepsiCo in Renoyi. What she said is that purpose is is not corporate social responsibility. It's very different. Corporate social responsibility means if you purchase a bag from us, $1 will go to a family of artisans, blah blah blah. That's corporate social responsibility.
Khryzza Kelley:But purpose driven business is involving that community in every facet of your business from creation to production to to everything. It's not just what she basically said is purpose is how you make your money, not spending the money you already made because that's donation. That's charity. And the way we can change and uplift communities so that we can lift them up from the poverty line is not by charity. It's really by taking them, making them part of the system so that they can also make their lives better, scale their businesses, and make it bigger.
Khryzza Kelley:So that's probably one thing that I because sometimes when people look at purpose driven business, they always think about, oh, okay. If I buy, you know, I donate. It's not donation. It's it's we build our business literally around them. Like, we take them in every part of the business.
Khryzza Kelley:And I think that's very important.
Vikki:Yeah. That really is. It really is. And it reminds me as you were talking about all of that, John and I went took our kids to Africa when they were really little, on a photo safari. Well, they weren't that little.
Vikki:They were, like, 11 and 12. So they remember everything to this day. Now they're 35 and 34. They remember, and we were blown away in Africa in the very the poorest areas, everybody listening, the poorest of the poorest of the poor. But instead of going like this on the street corner, you know, with nothing to offer but just give me money, please, they had made something.
Vikki:And if they didn't work, they didn't eat was the mentality. And as entrepreneurs, we respect that 100%. And so that's that's what it kinda reminds me of. They're not asking you to give a handout. No.
Vikki:You're helping them build their business. They're willing to work and work hard, longer hours than most people in North America are willing to work. Right? And so, yeah, it's just a way bigger philosophy when you're purchasing. You're kinda giving them a vote of confidence too in their in their business and themselves.
Vikki:You know, my opinion
Khryzza Kelley:give them the dignity that dignity in It's not when you said earlier, Vicky, that you are giving them the vote of confidence, I was saying that you are also giving them that dignity, of their work and the agency that they mean something and that they can create something. So and that's very because it's not all handouts. It's not all charity. Dignity is very, very important.
Vikki:It's so true. Absolute I I'm with you. 100% dignity is so important for the human soul. You know? Absolutely.
Vikki:So my gosh. This has been so much fun. I have loved getting to know you. Is there anything else? I guess we should talk about Cowork's website.
Vikki:I know it'll be in the show notes, but before we wrap everything up, I want people to know how to find you for Cowork too.
Khryzza Kelley:Yes. Just like my name, it's a little hard to spell. Well, I like unique things, but it's Cowork.co, c 0 w 0 r q Co. You'll find amazing, resources there. We actually have an assessment.
Khryzza Kelley:So if this is your first time hiring a virtual assistant, you're not sure what to delegate, what task to give to a virtual assistant, but the only thing you're sure of is that you need help, but you don't know which kind of help that you need. That assessment is for you. Because a lot of business owners, they always tell me, overwhelm. I need help. But when I ask them, like, well, what kind of help do you need?
Khryzza Kelley:They're like, I just know I need help. Well, I'm like, let's clarify that a little bit. I was
Vikki:gonna say we need to be more clear. Yeah. Exactly. So that assessment will help them get more clear. Right?
Vikki:Yeah. I love that. Great. Oh my gosh. So co work c o, one more time, w0rq.co.
Vikki:Go there. Check it out. I highly recommend Krisza. You guys went she's all you're also, Krisza, a woman of your word, and and that goes a long way for me in the business world. When you say you're gonna be there, you're there.
Vikki:I've never seen you be a no show. I see you show up with bells on, as we say. You know, just a smile from ear to ear. Great attitude. So I can only imagine that your your people that your team is the same.
Vikki:Right? You attract who you are. So if you want people, that are gonna bring joy into your life that are going to help you with your business, I highly recommend Cowork. And, and this has been so much fun. Can't wait.
Vikki:We'll have to have you back on because I'd love to chitchat about so many more things, but I really do think we're out of time. If any of you have learned something from this today, this episode, or you've been talking to a business owner friend and they were just complaining about not having having enough time in their life, share this episode with them. Go ahead. Click share. Send it their way.
Vikki:That way they know about coworker. They know about Carissa Kelly, and, they can take advantage of everything she has to offer. And, also, you know, I we just did an episode on on Memorial Day and police families. And because that's John and and I, as most of you know. And we encouraged you to support local police businesses or not just local, but global.
Vikki:Well, that's what I think with Criza, support a young entrepreneur. She's only 28. Sorry to call it, but I think that's I know you don't feel young, but, you know, a lot of people listening are like, wow. Good for her having two businesses already, successful woman of the or business of the year. Support her.
Vikki:Support local, you know, small business is what I'm trying to spit out, not so eloquently. Right? It goes a long way instead of supporting those big corporations. So thank you, Kriza. It's been so much fun having you on.
Vikki:Everything's gonna be in the show notes once again. Give us a review. We would love that. Share with all of your friends, and we can't wait to see you on the next episode. Thanks, Carissa.
Vikki:Thanks for coming. Thank you. Thank you
Khryzza Kelley:so much, Vicky. Thank you, everybody.
Vikki:Alright. Bye bye.
Vikki:Thanks for joining us on Dig the Well.
John:We hope you feel empowered and ready to take on new challenges.
Vikki:Remember, if we can do it, so can you. Keep learning, keep believing, and going after your dreams.
John:And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with someone who needs a little inspiration or maybe a nudge in the right direction.
Vikki:Help us grow this community of go getters. Together, we can achieve greatness and get back to family.
John:Thanks for listening, and let's keep digging the way.